Iranian lawmakers have voted down President Hassan Rouhani’s fourth nominee for minister of science, research and technology.
Fakhroddin Ahmadi Danesh-Ashtiani, who was proposed by Rouhani on November 11, failed to win the vote of confidence on Tuesday.
Of 257 lawmakers who participated in the voting process, only 70 MPs voted in favor of Danesh-Ashtiani, a professor of civil engineering at Khajeh Nasiruddin Tousi University of Technology.
A total of 171 parliamentarians voted against Danesh-Ashtiani and 16 abstained.
Before the voting, President Rouhani defended the record of Danesh-Ashtiani who also served as a deputy science minister in the cabinet of former President Mohammad Khatami.
On October 29, Iranian lawmakers rejected Rouhani’s candidate for minister of science, research and technology Mahmoud Nili Ahmadabadi.
Back in August, Iran’s parliament had voted former minister Reza Faraji-Dana out of office in an impeachment session.
Rouhani’s first choice, Mohammad Ali Najafi, also was rejected by MPs over his alleged ties to 2009 post-election unrests.
